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The Musical Offering: Worcester Chamber Music Society

Saturday, March 21, 2026 @ 8:00 pm

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Mechanics Hall:
321 Main St, Worcester
Adults: $40
Students: $20
Youth (18 & under): $10
General Admission

Worcester Chamber Music Society, featuring their pianist Randall Hodgkinson, delivers an exquisite rendition of J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering. The ensemble brings their tight-knit artistry to this music written for celebration.

Bach’s Musical Offering is a collection of keyboard works based on thematic material provided to Bach by Frederick the Great. Written as a celebratory work, this piece introduces a six voice fugue played across instruments throughout the work.

This program also features Bach’s Italian Concerto and Toccata in f sharp minor. The latter is one of seven toccatas for keyboard without pedal, and is intricate and expansive. The key of f sharp minor was less commonly used at the time, and was seen as dark, passionate, and moody. In contrast, the Italian Concerto was written as a solo concerto to imitate the grandiose of an ensemble. Bach used elaborate ornamentation, well-designed cadences, and a balance of showiness and rule-following in composition, allowing the Italian Concerto to be seen as the “ideal solo concerto”.

Program

Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Toccata in f# minor, BWV 910
Musical Offering, BWV 1079

Performers

Worcester Chamber Music Society
Randall Hodgkinson, piano

“Through the years the Chamber Music Society has crafted thoughtful, innovative and interesting programs, and its playing has become so effortless, so technically virtuosic and so musically expressive…., they have become one of the most loved and admired treasures in our musical community.” (John Zeugner, Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

Hailed as a group with imagination, style and chops, the Worcester Chamber Music Society took the Worcester, Massachusetts scene by storm with its initial concert in 2006. It has become a recognized cultural presence within the Greater Worcester area by presenting sold-out concerts to captivated audiences, receiving consistent critical acclaim, building new young audiences, and training rising musicians through both its Neighborhood Strings and Summer Music Camp programs. WCMS brings world-class chamber music to intimate Greater Worcester venues. WCMS nurtures the community through a unique combination of affordable concerts, education and community engagement.

Randall Hodgkinson is the Grand Prize Winner of the International American Music Competition sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the Rockefeller Foundation. He’s performed with orchestras in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Boston, Cleveland and abroad in Italy and Iceland. In addition, he has performed numerous recital programs spanning the repertoire from J.S. Bach to Donald Martino. He is the newest member of the Worcester Chamber Music Society, and he performs the four-hand and two-piano repertoire with his wife Leslie Amper. Mr. Hodgkinson’s festival appearances include Blue Hill (Maine), BargeMusic, Chestnut Hill Concerts (Madison, Connecticut), Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Recently, Mr. Hodgkinson gave the world premiere of the Piano Concerto by Gardner Read at the Eastman School in Rochester. He’s a faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge.

Thanks you to the following sponsors:

Mass Cultural Council logo
GBH logo

John Zeugner, Worcester Telegram and Gazette

“Through the years the Chamber Music Society has crafted thoughtful, innovative and interesting programs, and its playing has become so effortless, so technically virtuosic and so musically expressive…., they have become one of the most loved and admired treasures in our musical community.”

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Worcester Chamber Music Society

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Details

Date:
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time:
8:00 pm
Series:
Event Category:
Event Tags:
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Venue

Mechanics Hall
321 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608
+ Google Map
Phone
508-799-1463
View Venue Website